Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with (1) Amazon, and (2) other suppliers, about the fall in volume of goods being delivered from Great Britain to Northern Ireland since the agreement of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland in December 2020.

Lord Callanan: The Government has been speaking with businesses regularly regarding shipment of goods to Northern Ireland (NI), including parcel operators and online marketplaces. We have working groups with business where they are updated on the latest guidance and have the opportunity to seek further clarity on operational related issues. Assistance is also available from the Trader Support Service, which guides businesses trading with NI through all import processes at no additional cost.Furthermore, the Brexit Business Taskforce has held regular meetings between my noble Friend the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office (the Rt. Hon. Lord Frost), other Ministers, and key business sectors.HMRC held constructive engagement with the postal and parcel industry in the run up to the 31 December 2020 announcement of temporary arrangements for express operators to continue moving the majority of goods with minimal requirements. This engagement will continue for the duration of the temporary arrangements.

OneWeb: Satellites

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their acquisition of a share of OneWeb on 3 July 2020, how many satellites OneWeb have launched since that date; where were those satellites manufactured; what launch vehicles were used; and from where they were launched.

Lord Callanan: Since the Government’s investment, OneWeb has launched 180 satellites, bringing the total number of satellites launched to 254.OneWeb satellites are currently manufactured in Florida, USA. The payload (the active component), for the satellites is manufactured in the UK.OneWeb currently utilises heavy launch via their ArianeSpace contract executed through the Soyuz launcher at Vostochny in Russia.

OneWeb: Satellites

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans OneWeb has to manufacture satellites in the UK; when they expect any such manufacture to begin; what specific applications of OneWeb satellites they expect to benefit the UK; when they expect the development of second generation OneWeb satellites to be completed; and whether they expect the second generation OneWeb satellites to be suitable for Positioning Navigation and Timing programmes.

Lord Callanan: Details of satellite production and manufacturing are a commercial matter for the company. However, the Government would of course welcome R&D and manufacturing activity in the UK as part of efforts to grow the UK space sector.The Space Based PNT programme is continuing to evaluate options for future PNT resilience in the UK.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 20 October 2020 (HL8804), whether the Space-Based Positioning Navigation and Timing Programme has completed its exploration of new and alternative ways to deliver satellite navigation services to the UK; if so, what the result of that exploration is; and whether OneWeb has a role in any of the options being considered.

Lord Callanan: From October to November 2020, the UK Space Agency engaged industry and academia specialising in Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) via a Request for Information (RFI), designed to ensure a wide range of space-based concepts can be explored by the Space Based PNT Programme (SBPP).SBPP’s analysis is ongoing and will assess how well different options meet the UK’s requirements for PNT information from space.

Lockheed Martin and Virgin Orbit

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding (1) Lockheed Martin, and (2) Virgin Orbit, received from the UK Space Flight Programme, and for what purpose.

Lord Callanan: The UK Spaceflight Programme has provided:£23.5 million in two separate grants to Lockheed Martin. This includes £13.5m to establish launch operations at Saxa Vord Spaceport in Shetland and £10m for the research and development, build and flight demonstration an orbital manoeuvring vehicle.£7.35m to Virgin Orbit as part of £20m central and local government funding to support horizontal launch by from Spaceport Cornwall.

Insolvency: Fees and Charges

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Christians Against Poverty Shipshape or sinking ship?, published on 21 July, what plans they have to remove insolvency fees for individuals with insufficient surplus income.

Lord Callanan: There are no immediate plans to review the bankruptcy application or Debt Relief Order (DRO) fees. Where the fee is an issue, assistance is already available to allow a debtor to pay in instalments prior to the making of the bankruptcy order or DRO. In addition, some charities offer help with paying the fee. The Government has announced that it will be conducting a review of the personal insolvency framework in due course to ensure that it continues to be fit for purpose.

Astronomy: Scientists

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK scientists are working on (1) the James WebbSpace Telescope, and (2) the Extremely Large Telescope European project under construction in Chile.

Lord Callanan: The UK’s role in James Webb Space Telescope, leading the Mid-Infrared Instrument known as MIRI, involved scientists, engineers, researchers and technicians from 46 organisations across the UK – supported by approximately £20M investment from UK Space Agency and the Science and Technology Facilities Council. At its peak, the instrument’s development programme was staffed by 25-30 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) per year. Approximately 360 UK scientists will be working with JWST scientific data following its launch in November 2021, through privilege access programmes for the first mission data, and guest observer programmes. When factoring in post docs and PhD students, who will support this research, this figure can be expected to effectively double. We expect that when operational 200-400 UK researchers will seek time on the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) to support their science programmes. During the current construction phase a large proportion of UK scientists are working under commercial contract and we do not have access to staffing within those. When it starts operating in late-2020s, UK scientists will be able to use ELT to study the earliest evolution of stars and galaxies and to characterise and image other planets, possibly like our own.

Department for Education

Islam: Curriculum

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, subject to a parental right to withdraw children from particular lessons, to require depictions of the Prophet Mohammed to be shown to pupils and discussed as part of Religious Studies in the school curriculum; and if they have no such plans, why not.

Baroness Berridge: The department does not specify what a religious education (RE) curriculum should consist of, or how lessons on particular religions or non-religious beliefs should be taught. This is a matter for the school and the local authority’s Agreed Syllabus Conference, depending on whether a school is maintained or an academy, and whether the school has a religious designation or not. The details of these arrangements can be found in department guidance found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/religious-education-guidance-in-english-schools-non-statutory-guidance-2010 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/re-and-collective-worship-in-academies-and-free-schools.There are therefore no plans for the department to require the depictions of the Prophet Mohammed to be shown to pupils and discussed as part of RE.Schools are free to include a full range of issues, ideas, and materials in their curriculum, including where they are challenging or controversial, subject to their obligations to ensure political balance. They must balance this with the need to promote respect and tolerance between people of different faiths and beliefs, including in deciding which materials to use in the classroom.

Teachers: Training

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Education Policy Institute The cost of high-quality professional development for teachers in England,published on 15 July; and what steps are they taking to improve the quality of existing CPD training that teachers participate in.

Baroness Berridge: The department would like to thank the Education Policy Institute for the report ‘The cost of high-quality professional development for teachers in England’. Supporting our teachers with the highest quality training and professional development is the best way in which we can improve pupil outcomes, with evidence showing that expert teaching can have a disproportionately strong impact on those from disadvantaged backgrounds or those who have fallen behind. That is why the government has made the training, support and professional development we provide for our teachers central to our levelling up agenda and a key part of our plan to deal with the disruption that the COVID-19 outbreak has caused to schools.To this effect, the government is creating a world-class teacher development system, building from initial teacher training (ITT), through to early career support, specialisation and onto school leadership. At each phase, teachers will have access to high-quality training and professional development underpinned by the best available evidence. This will create a golden thread of support that teachers can draw on at every stage of their careers.As part of the department’s plans to boost education recovery, the package of measures we announced on 2 June included an investment of £253 million to expand our reforms to teacher development to give 500,000 school teachers the opportunity to access world-leading training appropriate for whatever point they are at in their career. This funding includes £184 million for a reformed suite of National Professional Qualifications which will provide training and support for teachers and school leaders at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice, such as behaviour management, to those leading multiple schools across trusts.From September 2021, the government is also funding an entitlement for all early career teachers in England to access high quality professional development and support through the Early Career Framework (ECF) reforms. Under the reforms, new teachers will benefit from a longer induction period of two years, replacing the previous one-year induction processes. This means they will have more time to access structured support and to develop their expertise and confidence. The funding available will give every school who wants it access to a Department for Education funded training provider who will design and deliver a comprehensive programme of face-to-face and online training as part of the new statutory induction for early career teachers. The ECF reforms will be backed by over £130 million a year in funding when fully rolled out.The reforms the department is making to the professional development teachers can access, which also includes the introduction of the ITT Core Content Framework, will root teacher development in the same consistent evidence-based understanding of what works. This will create a thread of high-quality support, training, and development through the entirety of a teacher’s career.

School Leaving: Qualifications

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manychildren left school with no (1) GCSEs, or (2) equivalent qualifications, in each of the last three years.

Baroness Berridge: In 2020, 2.2% of pupils at the end of key stage 4 (age 16) in state funded schools in England had no GCSEs and equivalent passes. This is a small improvement compared with both 2019 and 2018 when the figure was 2.4%.At age 16, the percentage of pupils without level 2 (5 good GCSEs or equivalent) was 27.3% in 2019/20, 35.7% in 2018/19, and 35% in 2017/18.After the age of 16, pupils should stay in full-time education, be in an apprenticeship or traineeship, or spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training. During this period they should gain further qualifications. Of those leaving at age 18 in 2019/20, 20.6% of pupils left school without level 2 (5 good GCSEs or equivalent), an improvement of 14.5% compared with the same cohort at age 16.

STEM Subjects: Ethnic Groups

Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what data they collect regarding (1) the participation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students in STEM subjects, and (2) their access to engineering qualifications at vocational or degree level.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Education and Skills Funding Agency collects information from further education providers via the Individualised Learner Record (ILR). The ILR specification for the 2019/20 academic year is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ilr-specification-validation-rules-and-appendices-2019-to-2020.The attached table contains the number of STEM enrolments for both adult (19+) education and training, and apprenticeships at all ages by people from ethnic minorities in the 2019/20 full academic year, and the 2020/21 provisional academic year. Please note that these counts are of learning aims [1]. If someone were to enrol on more than one learning aim in a given academic year they would be counted twice.The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students enrolled in higher education in the UK. Latest statistics refer to the academic year 2019/20.Data on student enrolments at UK higher education providers are available by subject of study and ethnicity in the academic year 2019/20 in Table 45 of HESA’s Higher Education Student Data pages: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-45.Further details about data collected by HESA is available at the ‘Student record 2019/20’ and ‘Alternative Student record 2019/20’ data collection pages, available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/collection/c19051/a/locsdy and https://www.hesa.ac.uk/collection/c19054.More data on access to higher education are published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). These include breakdowns by subject of study and ethnicity, available in the End of Cycle Data Resources pages: https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-sector-level-end-cycle-data-resources-2020.[1] A learning aim constitutes the package of learning being funded and delivered separately, such as an apprenticeship standard, an individual qualification, a module or a short non-qualification bearing course.HL1997_table (xls, 61.0KB)

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Gender Recognition

Lord Cormack: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the judgment in the case of FDJ v the Secretary of State for Justice on 2 July, whether it is their policy to treat biologically male prisoners in possession of a Gender Recognition Certificate as women for all purposes.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service policy framework ‘The Care and Management of Individuals who are Transgender’ sets out how decisions regarding transgender prisoners are taken. Prisoners with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) are housed and managed in line with their legal gender. This is in line with the Equality Act 2010 which prohibits discrimination based on gender reassignment. If a prisoner presents risk that cannot be managed in the estate matching their legal gender, the individual is referred to a Complex Case Board, chaired by a senior prison manager. The board then decides the most appropriate location for the prisoner after thoroughly considering all relevant risks, including risk to others, risk from others and the risk of self-harm. Where a transgender woman with a GRC is placed in the women’s estate, we consider any risks she may pose to other women in the estate, with use of separate accommodation where appropriate. We are committed to treating all prisoners fairly, lawfully and decently.

Reoffenders: Females

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many recommendations they have implemented from the report commissioned by the Ministry of Justice The Importance of Strengthening Female Offenders' Family and other Relationships to Prevent Reoffending and Reduce Intergenerational Crime, published on 18 June 2019.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Government has made good progress in implementing the recommendations from Lord Farmer’s 2019 report on ‘The Importance of Strengthening Female Offenders’ Family and other Relationships to Prevent Reoffending and Reduce Intergenerational Crime’.So far, 17 recommendations have been completed, including increased access to family contact for women in custody through the rollout of video calling and email reply systems in all women’s prisons, the installation of in-cell telephony in all closed women’s prisons, improvements to Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) policy, and routine access to telephone contact for women and primary carers in court custody suites.We are continuing to work across the MOJ, HMPPS, and wider government to take forward Lord Farmer’s recommendations.

Prisons: Females

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average number of miles a woman in prison is held from her home address.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: As of 30 June 2021, a woman in prison was on average 47 miles from their origin address.There are complex and wide-ranging issues involved in transferring and locating prisoners, and allocation decisions must reflect both the specific needs and circumstances of the prisoner, including their security assessment, as well as the operating environment and range of services at the receiving prison.HMPPS is committed to ensuring, where practicable, that prisoners are accommodated as close as possible to their resettlement communities and families. Whilst this is a priority, it is not always possible due to a variety of factors including wider population pressures, or where women have specific sentence planning needs which can only be met at certain establishments.Around 97% of prisoners have an origin location; i.e. addresses that are recorded in our central IT system. If no address is given, an offender’s committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which they are resident. This information is included in the data provided above. Those with no recorded origin are typically foreign nationals or those recently received into custody.The numerical information provided has been drawn from administrative IT systems, which as with any large scale recording system are subject to possible error with data entry and processing.

Treasury

National Audit Office: Email

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 12 July (HL1536), what if any access the National Audit Office has to private emails which they regard as amounting to “substantive discussions or decision generated in the course of conducting government business” but which have not been copied to a government email address.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: As set out in the answer to HL1536, material amounting to “substantive discussions or decision generated in the course of conducting government business“ should be transferred to the official record and, as such, will be accessible by the NAO in the usual way. In addition, and as set out in Managing Public Money, when the NAO investigates any public sector organisation, it should get full cooperation in provision of papers.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Turkey: Immigration Controls

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the EU’s proposal to fund border controls at Turkey’s eastern border; and in particular, whether this would lead to victims of persecution being turned back.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of discussions between our close partners, Turkey and the EU, on the funding of border controls at Turkey's eastern border. We would expect any new border controls to comply with international law with respect to the protection of refugees.

Nigeria: Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have provided (1) financial support, or (2) capacity building training, to state governments in Nigeria to help them better manage (a) resources, and (b) conflict, as recommended in the report by the APPG for International Freedom of Religion or Belief Nigeria: Unfolding Genocideon 15 June; and what (i) support, or (ii) guidance, they have given to civil society organisations in Nigeria to monitor and document all cases of human rights violations against the civilian population, as recommended in that report.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We provide capacity building support, training and technical assistance to state governments across Nigeria to help them manage resources more transparently and to be more responsive to citizen needs. We work with civil society on human rights and we will continue to make clear to the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels the importance of protecting human rights for all.

Greece: Migrants and Refugees

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Amnesty International Greece: Violence, lies, and pushbacks, published on 23 June.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The accounts in the report are concerning and illustrate the difficulties presented by irregular migration. As the report notes, Greece has denied using any illegal practices, while Frontex has conducted an internal investigation into the allegations, and the European Parliament has established a permanent standing committee in order to scrutinise Frontex activity in the Aegean. HMA Athens has raised this issue with Greek Migration Minister Mitarakis and we will continue to urge all parties to uphold international law and international human rights standards, and to avoid any actions that may endanger human life. More broadly, the UK is committed to engaging with European and other partners on a 'whole of route' approach to tackling the challenges of, and risks posed by, irregular migration.

Nigeria: Christianity

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 May (HL3), what assessment they have made of reports of the killing of eight Christians in an attack on a church in Ungwan Gaida, Kaduna State, Nigeria on 19 May; and what recent discussions they have had with the government of Nigeria about the protection of religious sites.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We condemn all attacks on places of worship including the reported attack in Ungwan Gaida, Kaduna State. We regularly raise concerns about attacks and broader insecurity with the Nigerian Government, including during the Minister for Africa's visit to Nigeria in April.

Education: Children

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support children from endangered (1) ethnic, and (2) religious, communities in securing scholarships that would enable them to be given comprehensive education outside their country of origin.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Defending and promoting human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, has been a long-standing priority for the UK Government. The UK believes that no one should be excluded from education because of their religion or belief. Discrimination damages not only societies, but also holds back economies.Religious or ethnic discrimination can force families to flee their homes, with refugees and displaced children now constituting the largest group of those out of school, and their number increasing. For this reason, the UK is the founding and leading donor to Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies. The UK is providing £90 million of funding to ECW from 2019 to 2023. This investment is supporting ECW to expand its operations to more countries, respond to COVID-19, and will support up to 600,000 children living through conflict, and in areas of protracted crises, access education. For example, ECW's support includes the provision of basic education for 88,000 Rohingya children who are now living in refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Iraq and Syria: Minority Groups

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation of the (1) Yazidi, (2) Christian, and (3) Mandean, communities in (a) Iraq, and (b) Syria; what plans they have to (i) recognise them as endangered communities and (ii) to identify policies to protect them; what assistance they are providing, if any, to these communities; and what assessment they have made of how any such assistance is protecting them.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is firmly committed to supporting the rights of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria who have suffered as a result of conflict and been persecuted, particularly by Daesh. We have contributed £28 million to the UNDP Funding Facility for Stabilisation (FFS), which is helping to enable the return of internally displaced persons, including minorities, to areas liberated from Daesh by restoring vital infrastructure and basic services.

Iraq and Syria: War Crimes

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possibility of designating the destruction of cultural heritage as an early warning sign of atrocity crimes, in line with the requirements of the UN Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes; and what plans they have to support (1) the preservation of the cultural heritage, and (2) the protection of places of worship, of endangered (a) ethnic, and (b) religious, communities in (i) Iraq, and (ii) Syria.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK remains active and committed in this field. The UK was a penholder on UN Security Council Resolution 2347, which treats protection of cultural heritage as an issue of key importance to international peace with implications for national security. In Iraq and Syria, UK support for cultural heritage protection has ranged from providing psycho-social support to Yazidi women trafficked by Daesh, to addressing illegal antiquities trafficking through the flagship Cultural Protection Fund. The UK government is considering further work in both Iraq and Syria through the next round of the Cultural Protection Fund.

EU Countries: Frontex

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement from Amnesty International on 23 June that there needs to be improvement to the (1) accountability, and (2) transparency, of Frontex's operations in (a) Greece, (b) Croatia, and (c) Hungary.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The accounts in the Amnesty International report are concerning. We welcome the fact that Frontex has conducted an internal investigation into the allegations, and the European Parliament has established a permanent standing committee in order to scrutinise Frontex activity in the Aegean. The UK co-operates closely with our European partners to manage migration and strengthen our collective borders. We are committed to upholding international law and international human rights standards and to avoiding any actions that may endanger human life.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the United Nations Children and Armed Conflict, published on 6 May; and, in particular their finding of “grave violations against 340 Palestinian and 3 Israeli children” in the West Bank.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the assessments made in the Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) for 2020. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli and Palestinian security forces providing appropriate protection to the civilian population, in particular the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire. We remain concerned by the number of Palestinians, including children, killed and injured in the West Bank and Gaza.

Syria: Diplomatic Relations

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of some (1) European, and (2) Middle-Eastern, states seeking to re-open diplomatic relations with the government of Syria; and in particular, whether they see this as a (a) pragmatic, and (b) realistic, step.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK closed the British Embassy in Damascus in 2012 and has no plans to re-open it. It is up to each sovereign state to make its own decisions on its representation in Syria, but we believe the Assad regime has lost its legitimacy due to its atrocities against the Syrian people and must now engage seriously with the UN political process.

Afghanistan: Emigration

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely scale of emigration from Afghanistan over the next yeargiven the advance of the Taliban in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), conducts assessments of the likely scale of migration and internal displacement due to the situation in Afghanistan. They are currently preparing revised estimates to reflect the deteriorating situation and we will continue to work with OCHA, UNHCR, IOM and other donors and neighbouring countries to respond.

Cuba: Demonstrations and Religious Freedom

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the anti-government demonstrations in Cuba, and (2) the reports of the forcible detention of religious leaders in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are clear that all Cubans should have the right to protest peacefully. The UK government has called for calm and restraint, and the full respect of all Cubans' human rights. Detention should not be used as a tool to restrict freedom of expression, assembly, and religion. We have raised our concerns directly with the Cuban government, and called for the authorities to release information on detained citizens, including their whereabouts. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Cauliflowers

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure the supply offresh UK grown cauliflowers in shops.

Lord Benyon: Cauliflower is an important field vegetable for the UK, worth £57m at farmgate in 2019[1]. Defra is taking a number of steps to ensure our delicious home-grown cauliflowers are supplied to shops in both the short- and longer-term.On 22 December 2020, the Government extended the Seasonal Workers Pilot into 2021, with up to 30,000 visas available, granted for workers to come to the UK, from EU or non-EU countries, for a period of up to six months to pick and package fruit and vegetables on our farms.In 2021 and beyond, agricultural and food businesses will continue to be able to rely on EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status. Over 5.1 million EU citizens and their families have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).Defra is working with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions to raise awareness of career opportunities within the food and farming sectors among UK workers.We will also explore the potential for automation to meet future labour demands of the sector. Defra is leading on a review of automation in horticulture, which will cover both the edible and ornamental sectors in England. The review will support the overall aim of reducing the sector’s dependency on seasonal migrant labour.Defra is aware of the impact haulier shortages could have on the supply chains, including for horticulture products like cauliflower. We are working closely with the sector to understand these impacts. Overall, the UK’s food supply is highly resilient. The food industry is well versed in dealing with scenarios that can impact food supply. [1] Provisional statistic Latest horticulture statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is theirresponse to reports of vegetables rotting in fields throughout the UK due to a shortage of agricultural workers.

Lord Benyon: Defra is working closely with industry to help our world-leading farmers and food businesses access the labour they need, and to ensure that our sectors are appropriately supported both this year and in the future.On 22 December 2020, the Government extended the Seasonal Workers Pilot into 2021, with up to 30,000 visas available, granted for workers to come to the UK, from EU or non-EU countries, for a period of up to 6 months to pick and package fruit and vegetables on our farms.In 2021 and beyond, agricultural and food businesses will continue to be able to rely on EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status. Over 5.1 million EU citizens and their families have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). The application deadline was 30 June 2021 and where a person eligible under the EU Settlement Scheme has reasonable grounds for missing the deadline, they will be given a further opportunity to apply.Defra is working with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions to raise awareness of career opportunities within the food and farming sectors among UK workers. We will also explore the potential for automation to meet future labour demands of the sector.Defra is leading on a review of automation in horticulture, which will cover both the edible and ornamental sectors in England. The review will work alongside the newly extended and expanded Seasonal Workers Pilot - and Defra’s efforts to attract more UK residents into agricultural work – to support the overall aim of reducing the sector’s dependency on seasonal migrant labour.

Southern Water

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the £90m fine imposed on Southern Water by the Environment Agency for dumping raw sewage into protected seas; and what plans they have to direct the Environment Agency to hold Southern Water to stricter standards in future.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: On 9 July 2021, Southern was handed a record £90 million fine after pleading guilty to thousands of illegal discharges of sewage which polluted rivers and coastal waters in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex. The Environment Agency led the successful prosecution, which is the largest criminal investigation in its 25-year history.The findings in this case were shocking and wholly unacceptable. The Government has made clear that water companies have environmental responsibilities and must realise them. They have a legal duty to avoid pollution to our rivers and other waterways. Water companies should not be letting this happen and those that do will be punished by the full force of the law.This fine, the largest ever imposed on a water company, is absolutely appropriate and welcomed. It will rightly be paid solely from the company's operating profits, rather than customer bills.The Government works closely with the regulators including the Environment Agency and Ofwat to support their work to monitor Southern Water's performance and to hold them to account to deliver improvements for their customers and the environment. For example, the strategic policy statement (SPS) for Ofwat published on 22nd July for consultation outlines Government's key priorities for the independent regulator. This includes continuing to work on water companies' day-to-day environmental performance, with a focus on meeting the Government's ambitions to reduce significantly the frequency and volume of sewage discharges from storm overflows. As well as this, the statement asks Ofwat to challenge water companies to strategically plan their drainage and wastewater services in order to improve resilience and reduce pollution incidents. Ofwat will also work with companies to drive down leakage and improve water efficiency for the benefit of current and future customers.Although it has improved on last year's Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA) 1-star rating, Southern Water remains one of the worst performing companies. Southern Water has a package of undertakings to deliver following enforcement action. The package includes steps to improve investment and performance at its wastewater treatment works and to increase transparency for customers about its environmental performance.Minister Pow met with Southern Water's management team earlier this year to discuss their environmental performance. Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, also met with Southern Water's Chair, and the Secretary of State will be meeting with them to discuss their 2020 EPA results.The Environment Agency regularly reviews the EPA metrics and targets to hold water companies to strict standards. They are working on introducing new metrics for water resources, storm overflows and sludge in the future.The Government will continue to work closely with the Environment Agency and Ofwat as they regulate robustly to drive improvements in the sector.

Water Companies: Pollution

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to end the practice of water companies being permitted to self-report pollution incidents.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: It is a requirement on water companies to self-report pollution incidents and there are no plans to remove this important requirement. Pollution incidents occur as a result of a system failure and require a reactive response. The quicker the response, the better the outcome for the environment. If the self-reporting of pollution incidents was not required, the Environment Agency would be reliant on third parties to report when things have gone wrong. Water companies can inform the Environment Agency of problems much quicker than if reported by third parties. High levels of self-reporting demonstrates honesty and transparency and is an indicator that companies are managing their systems effectively. Making this information available and reporting it in the Environment Agency's annual water company performance report shines a light on company performance. Removing this requirement would reduce transparency, be worse for the environment and would reduce the Environment Agency's ability to hold water companies to account.

Home Office

Home Office: Training

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) departmental officials, and (2) Ministers, have undertaken the 'Face behind the case' training.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The ‘Face Behind the Case’ e-learning is for UKVI staff, to highlight the impact decisions have on our customers.As of 28 June 2021, the training has been completed by 10,132 officials across the Home Office.

Asylum: EU Action

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the establishment of a European Union Agency for Asylum.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We note the provisional agreement between the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council and the European Parliament on a Regulation to create an EU asylum agency.We will monitor further developments in relation to implementation of this legislation.

Asylum

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have to increase the number of safe routes into the country for those seeking asylum.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Since 2015 we have resettled more than 25,000 refugees through safe and legal resettlement routes direct from regions of conflict and instability - around half of whom were children. In addition to this our current family reunion policy has welcomed over 29,000 individuals to the UK in the last 5 years. The UK continues to welcome people through the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), as well as through the Community Sponsorship and Mandate Resettlement Schemes and our refugee family reunion policy. This commitment, alongside a fair but firm asylum system, will ensure we continue to offer safe and legal routes to the UK for refugees in need of protection.The New Plan for Immigration will strengthen safe and legal protection routes to the UK by ensuring our resettlement schemes are accessible and fair, resettling refugees from countries where the need is greatest, increasing the integration support of those we welcome, increasing opportunities for community participation in resettlement, supporting access to work visas for highly skilled displaced people and providing more flexibility to help people in truly exceptional and compelling circumstances.

Asylum: Families

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have to preserve the right of familial reunification for asylum seekers regardless of the route of entry into the UK as part of the New Plan for Immigration, published on 24 March.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the New Plan for Immigration, published on 24 March, whatassessment they have made of the risk of unaccompanied minors travelling to the UK via unauthorised routes for the purposes of reunification with relatives who previously entered through unauthorised routes.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We have a proud history of providing protection to those who need it, in-line with our international obligations. But we have been clear that individuals in need of protection should avoid making dangerous journeys and claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety. The Nationality and Borders Bill will set up a range of measures to deter people from undertaking dangerous journeys via unauthorised routes.As set out in the New Plan for Immigration, we are committed to review the refugee family reunion rules. Refugee family reunion will only be permitted where refusing would be a breach of our international obligations. In practice, this means refugees will be able to sponsor their spouse or partner and under-18 children if they can show there are insurmountable obstacles to their relationship continuing anywhere other than the UK and it is in the child’s best interests.

Asylum

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatis their response to reports that the United Nations regards their planned asylum overhaul as “almost neo-colonial”.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK has a long history of supporting refugees in need of protection. Our resettlement schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people to start new lives in the UK.The UK is a global leader in resettlement and resettled more refugees from outside Europe than any EU member state every year between 2016 and 2019.Overall, since 2015, we have resettled more than 25,000 refugees through safe and legal routes direct from regions of conflict and instability - around half of whom were children.The UK continues to welcome refugees through the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), as well as through the Community Sponsorship and Mandate Resettlement Schemes. This commitment, alongside a fair and firm asylum system, will ensure we continue to offer safe and legal routes to the UK for vulnerable refugees in need of protection. Our focus will remain on helping people directly from regions of conflict and instability.

Asylum: Iraq and Syria

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possibility of enabling people from endangered (1) ethnic, and (2) religious, communities in (a) Iraq, and (b) Syria, to be considered for resettlement in the UK; and how many people in each of these categories have been resettled to the UK in each year since 2014.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Refugee resettlement to the UK is based on need, as assessed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) who adhere to humanitarian principles including impartiality, rather than any specific ethnicity or religion.Refugee resettlement statistics are published through official statistics at quarterly intervals. These statistics can be broken down by nationality. We do not publish data on ethnicity or religious affiliation. The next set of statistics will be published in August and will include the number of people resettled up to end of June 2021. These are available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseAs set out in the New Plan for Immigration, the UK will continue to work with the UNHCR to ensure our resettlement schemes are accessible and fair, resettling refugees from countries where the need is greatest, and ensuring those in need of resettlement can access it.

Refugees

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what istheir response to reported comments by the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that the UK appeared to be trying to "wash its hands" of its international responsibilities for refugees.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK has a long history of supporting refugees in need of protection. Our resettlement schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people to start new lives in the UK.The UK is a global leader in resettlement and resettled more refugees from outside Europe than any EU member state every year between 2016 and 2019.Overall, since 2015, we have resettled more than 25,000 refugees through safe and legal routes direct from regions of conflict and instability - around half of whom were children.The UK continues to welcome refugees through the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), as well as through the Community Sponsorship and Mandate Resettlement Schemes. This commitment, alongside a fair and firm asylum system, will ensure we continue to offer safe and legal routes to the UK for vulnerable refugees in need of protection. Our focus will remain on helping people directly from regions of conflict and instability.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing

Lord Carrington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits to the economy of the private rental sector.

Lord Greenhalgh: We have not made an assessment to quantify the contribution of the private rented sector (PRS) to the economy. We recognise that the PRS plays an important role on providing homes to over 4 million households in England. The Government is committed to delivering a package of reforms to ensure the PRS can operate effectively and meet the needs of both tenants and landlords. The PRS supports labour market mobility, allowing households to move easily both within and between regions, leading to a more efficient allocation of labour and skills. This is due to the relative ease with which renters can give notice and sign new tenancies, and the relative lower costs of moving, when compared to owner-occupier house sales. A key part of our future PRS reforms is to ensure the flexibility of private rental tenancies is retained, whilst balancing increased security for those tenants who need and want it, alongside driving an improvement in the quality and standards of PRS accommodation. In addition, the Build to Rent sector continues to attract investment with analysis by Savills estimating that approximately £1.2 billion was invested into the UK’s Build to Rent sector during the first quarter of 2021.

Rents: Arrears

Lord Carrington: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their press release Support for renters continues with longer notice periods, published on 12 May, on what grounds they have concluded that many landlords are “highly vulnerable to rent arrears”.

Lord Greenhalgh: The UK Government has put in place an unprecedented package of support for renters during the pandemic, including financial measures to enable them to continue paying rent to landlords.However, we know that 45% of landlords have just one rental property and 38% have between two to four properties. For most landlords, income from rent makes up 42% of their total gross income making them highly vulnerable when their tenants build up rent arrears.The Government has to balance supporting tenants with landlords' ability to exercise their right to justice where needed. As national restrictions continue to ease, it is appropriate that the emergency measures start to lift but we are doing so gradually.

Sand: Compton Bassett

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal for a sand extraction quarry in the conservation area of Compton Bassett; and what plans they have to give local residents more powers to oppose such planning applications.

Lord Greenhalgh: This proposal was considered by Wiltshire Council's strategic planning committee on 14 July. Government policy is that local planning authorities should, in general, be free to carry out their duties with regard to day-to-day planning control in their areas with the minimum of interference. Our proposed planning reforms will deliver a simpler, faster, more transparent process, giving communities certainty over what development is permitted through clear land allocations in local plans.

Cabinet Office

Audit: Standards

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reporting obligations and responsibilities are placed on external auditors by section 113(7) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 in the event of a reporting failure.

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of section 113(7) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015; and what plans they have, if any, to amend that legislation to tackle issues relating to reporting and non-compliance.

Lord True: Section 113(7) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 requires contracting authorities to publish their performance against the 30 day obligation to pay their suppliers within 30 days, together with details of interest payable/paid where they fail to do so. It does not place any obligations or responsibilities upon external auditors in the event of a reporting failure. The Cabinet Office has included proposals in its Green Paper on Procurement Rules Reform to strengthen the reporting requirements of Section 113(7). The proposals include legislating to align public and private sector reporting requirements and publishing public sector payment performance in a single location which will allow greater scrutiny and challenge of public sector payment performance. The outcome of the consultation will be published in due course.

Members and Peers: Equality

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, tointroduce measures so that MPs and Peers are (1) covered by, and (2) liable to, regulations made under the Equality Act 2010.

Lord True: The Government does not have plans to change the Act’s coverage as it relates to Parliamentarians. The constitutional position is affirmed by Parliament in Schedule 3 of the Act. The conduct of Parliamentarians is a matter for each House. Codes of conduct set out the standards of behaviour expected of Members of Parliament in all aspects of their public life. Both Houses are advised by the Commissioners for Standards in each House. Where MPs and peers recruit or employ staff, these aspects are covered by the Equality Act 2010, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people.

Local Government and NHS Trusts: Billing

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government why National Health Service Trusts and English Local Authority Councils are allowed to be signatories to the Prompt Payment Code given the reports about failures to pay promptly and make the relevant disclosures under section 113(7) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

Lord True: The Office of the Small Business Commissioner administers the Prompt Payment Code (the Code) on behalf of BEIS. The Office of the Small Business Commissioner is an independent public body set up by Government under the Enterprise Act 2016. The Code is a voluntary code of practice which any private or public sector organisation may sign up to. If an organisation chooses to sign up to the Code, they must demonstrate they meet the Code standards. However, public sector organisations in scope of Reg 113 of the PCRs 2015 are required to meet payment standards as set out in legislation. This requires contracting authorities to include contractual provisions to make payments due to a contractor no later than 30 days from the point it is declared valid and undisputed, and for that verification to take place in a timely fashion and without undue delay.

Ministers: Email

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what powers they have under Freedom of Information legislation to check, in the process of responding to an FOI request, a minister's private email address to see whether they have used it for government business.

Lord True: The Government’s position on the operation of Freedom of Information legislation in respect of private email accounts is set out in the ‘Guidance to departments on use of private emails,’ published in 2013 as outlined below:‘The Freedom of Information Act and searches for information9. The FoI Act allows people to request information; it does not give the requestor any power to dictate where the department should search for that information. It is for the department to consider where the information might be and to take reasonable steps to find it. As set out above, it is expected that Government business should be recorded on government record systems. It will generally be reasonable to search only within those systems when a request has been received.10. Departmental searches in response to requests for information are the responsibility of individual departments. The FOI Act itself provides no express legal authority for departments to search another person’s private emails or other records for the purpose of responding to a request made under that Act. In exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary to ascertain whether there is Government information in an individual’s possession that is not accessible to Government. This should be done by approaching the individual in question and the department should be entitled to rely on that person’s answer. There would be no requirement on the department to inform the requestor that the question had been asked, or (if Government information had been privately stored) where any information was found though, as now, if the Information Commissioner’s office is involved, departments may be asked to explain the nature and extent of the searches conducted in order to reply to a request.’

National Audit Office: Email

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 13 July (HL1535), whether, as part of the National Audit Office (NAO) investigation into government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic, any private emails were (1) provided directly, or (2) forwarded as part of official correspondence, to the NAO on the grounds that they contained (a) substantive discussions, or (b) decisions.

Lord True: The Government fully cooperated with the National Audit Office’s investigation into Government procurement during the pandemic and provided all information requested. The NAO report sets out the NAO's investigative approach and the evidence drawn on as part of the investigation.

Department for International Trade

Tradeshow Access Programme

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government when areplacement scheme for the Tradeshow Access Programme will be announced.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: HM Government will announce further details on plans for a revised trade show support programme when discussions with HM Treasury are concluded. The £38m Internationalisation Fund, launched last year, provides matching grants for export support including attendance at trade shows.

China: BGI

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the US Commerce Department’s decision to add BGI Group to an economic blacklist of Chinese companies implicated in human rights violations regarding China’s treatment of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) Chinese companies which have been banned from operating in the United States but have not been banned in the UK,and (2) reasons why those companies have been banned in the United States.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: HM Government has repeatedly condemned the violation of rights and responsibilities in Xinjiang. On 22nd June, a British diplomatic effort helped deliver the support of over 40 countries for a statement on the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang at the UN Human Rights Council, calling on China to grant unfettered access to the region for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.The US is a close partner, but we are an independent nation, with our own decision-making on what constitutes a security threat. The United Kingdom has no equivalent of the US Entity List.As the passage of the National Security and Investment Act shows, we are strengthening our domestic toolbox in certain sectors. This Act will mandate notification of certain types of transaction to provide a proportionate defence against hostile actors targeting certain sectors. No single country or company is designated as ‘high risk’; transactions are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.In addition, large businesses operating in the United Kingdom are required to report on how they are tackling forced labour in their operations and supply chains under the Modern Slavery Act.